County officials seek solutions to $35 million budget shortfall

Lee County is facing a $35 million budget shortfall, in part because officials haven't raised tax rates since 2007.

During a budget workshop today, commissioners are expected to discuss plans for plugging the $35 million hole without raising taxes.

"Something that is not communicated very well is that the ... shortfall is not equivalent to spending," Assistant County Manager Pete Winton said. "It's of our own making. We cut spending. We allowed more tax relief than we cut in spending."

By keeping the countywide tax rate at about $3.60 per $1,000 in property value, the county has absorbed the increased cost of maintaining service to the community, Winton said.

The county operates on a five-year plan, Winton said. County leaders are hoping the economy will improve in the coming years and the shortfall will fix itself.

In the meantime, officials plan to bridge the gap by using the county's $136 million in reserves, according to county budget documents.

"The county certainly made sure it fulfilled its commitment to protect the community through a combination of budgetary strategies, reduced operating costs, reduced workforce and a judicious use of reserves, " Commissioner Ray Judah said. "To use reserves to maintain the essential core level of services without raising taxes required a lot of vision and foresight over a decade ago."

Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs and the Lee County School Board all increased their millage rates since 2007. In that time, Lee County has slimmed spending by about $100 million. It also trimmed 444 positions — about 16 percent of its workforce — over the last four years.

"To cut an additional $30 million we would have to make cuts that would mangle service levels," Winton said. "The idea is if you have reserves, spend them now to maintain service levels."

That's the same mentality county officials have had since the recession hit.

"Lee County didn't raise the millage during the worst possible time, the downturn in the economy, because of the fact that people are hurting and struggling," Judah said. "Yet, we still were able to provide stability and a core level of service because of a combination of reducing expenses, reducing staffing and a judicious use of reserves."

Those core services include the Lee County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management Services, two of the largest line items in the general fund budget.

In June, Sheriff Mike Scott presented his $139 million budget for the upcoming year. In that budget, Scott proposed $1.5 million in spending cuts, marking a fourth straight year of cuts to the Sheriff's Office's budget.

Winton said the services Lee County residents expect will not change.

"The silver lining is that we're a lot more efficient than we used to be," Winton said. "With fewer people, fewer resources, we were forced to be as creative as possible, but we can only cut so far. If we keep cutting, we're going to suffer dire consequences."

Commissioners are expected to approve the budget on Sept. 19 at a 5:05 p.m. meeting.